Thursday, October 29, 2009

When I first moved to New York, I was struck by the presence of what was called a Texas burger. At first I was thrilled, curious as to what it could contain—guacamole, jalapenos or salsa all seemed like reasonable guesses. But I was wrong. In New York, a Texas burger means that it’s topped with a fried egg. A fried egg? Now that doesn’t really say Texas to me—does it say Texas to you?

For almost 15 years, I’ve pondered this burger. You may find burgers in Texas that have a fried egg on them, of course, but it’s definitely the exception not the norm. When I think of the burgers I grew up with, I think about a thick patty topped with cheese, lettuce (preferably crunchy iceberg), tomatoes, onions and dill pickle slices, nestled between a bun spread with mustard and mayonnaise. And perhaps you’ll throw on some jalapenos if you’re feeling racy.

Of course, Texas being a large and diverse place there are variations on our burgers. On some Texas burgers you may find refried beans and corn chips, or cream cheese with jalapenos, or guacamole and bacon or perhaps a hearty dollop of chile con queso. All of these additions, however, still remind me of our native cuisine. But the fried egg? Not so much.
This isn’t to say that we don’t put fried eggs on foods. Take West Texas stacked enchiladas, which are made creamy and rich with the addition of a runny, fried egg on top of a mountain of corn tortillas, chili gravy and cheese. (Actually, that could make for a good burger—a patty topped with Longhorn cheddar, chili gravy with some refried beans spread on the bun.) But nope, in New York the fried-egg Texas burger doesn’t come dressed that way. Heck, I’ve even seen a so-called Texas burger come with fried egg, barbecue sauce and blue cheese crumbles, which, being in polite company, we will not discuss my reaction to this insult to the good name of Texas.

Texas Monthly recently published its top 50 burgers in the state and when I was reading the list, I was struck by how many places now sandwich their beef patty on a homemade jalapeno cheese bun. Now we’re talking! While the quality of the meat is what makes for a great hamburger, the bun is also a very important part of the equation. And as Alison Cook wrote in 1983, “If Texans hold any truth to be self-evident, it is that there is nothing that would not be improved by the addition of a little jalapeno.”

No stranger to making jalapeno cheese bread, I decided to make my own jalapeno cheese buns. I went for a soft, egg-rich bread like my cemita rolls and just threw in some fresh diced jalapenos and a mess of shredded cheddar cheese. The buns were sturdy yet tender with enough flavor from the chiles and cheese to make them pleasant eating just on their own. But pair the buns with a thick juicy beef patty, some iceberg lettuce, mayonnaise, mustard, red onion and sliced dill pickles and you have yourself my perfect version of a Texas burger.

Method:
Mix together the 2 cups of flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Beat the egg with the oil and then add the warm buttermilk. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Let dough rest for 15 minutes and then add the jalapenos and shredded cheddar. Spread a 1/2 cup of flour on a clean surface and knead dough for five minutes or until it comes together. Note that the dough will be a little sticky.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it and let it rise until it’s doubled in size, about an hour and a half.

Depending on how large you want your rolls to be, divide the dough into eight or four balls and let them rest, covered for 15 minutes.

To shape the rolls, take each ball and then flatten it so it looks like a disc.

Place each roll a few inches apart on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

66 comments:

This post makes me think of my father who, while born and raised in South Carolina, has lived in El Paso for 30+ years so he's really a Texan now. He loves jalapenos on _everything_ and he loves his burgers. I bet he would flip over a burger on this bun. And then I thought, I have this great buffalo burger recipe that I stuff with Hatch greens and manchego that would be great on this bun - two different chile flavors in one burger. There's grilling and bun-making in my future I think. If my dad is nice he might even get to try one :-)

I'm with you. Living in TX, I guess everything is a Texas burger. :) But I would have guessed guac, jalepenos, cheddar for sure, maybe extra beef? would make a Texas burger. I've never seen a burger with a fried egg on any menu here in the Lone Star State, though I'm sure it exists.

Thanks for all your excellent recipes! My family moved in 1979 and I've missed all the excellent food ever since! In Buffalo, they have an affront called a "Texas Hot" (a hot dog) which bears no relation to anything I ever had in Texas. So sad. Please keep the recipes coming!

I always go to Whataburger because the default Whataburger is just that: Tomato, onion, pickles, iceberg lettuce, and mustard, so I never have to alter the order and they never make a mistake. I do often add jalapeños, though.

I've never seen a fried egg on a hamburger. I've heard of it, but never encountered it. (Kind of like Bigfoot . . . )

Agreed. A fried egg, while pretty yummy on a burger, does not a "Texas burger" make. Jalapenos, chili, queso, sure! This bun recipe makes me want to kiss you, it sounds so good. I'll have to figure out a gluten-free version - I need to make gluten-free hamburger buns anyway, and if they had cheese and jalapenos, that would be amazing!

I'm in East TX, and have never seen egg on a burger, either. Strange. When I make burgers, I sauté onion & jalapeno slices, and top the patty with cheddar-Jack or pepper-Jack slices, followed by the peppers & onions. Then everyone adds mustard, mayo, or whatever they want. I'm definitely going to make your buns next time! Sounds fantastic!

I've recently moved to Germany, and while I've never seen a fried egg on a burger (yet), fried eggs make it onto every other type of dish and thus this burger sounds more like a German burger than a Texas burger. My ideal Texas burger has guacamole and bacon! Yum!

Lisa I ate the #3 burger as rated by Texas Monthly (and the one on the cover of that issue) at Alamo Springs General Store outside of Fredericksburg when I was back home! It was delicious (though oddly, their jalapeno cheddar bun didn't taste much of jalapeno or cheddar) but my favorite thing they had was their deep fried avocado! It was the best thing on earth - filled with cheese and ground beef with a thick and crispy double coating of batter on the outside. I still have no idea how they pull that off because they present it to you whole - a mystery worth pursuing and one I'm sure the Homesick Texan could solve...

Funny--when I was living in Spain, I found numerous restaurants that referred to an egg-topped burger as American-style! Seems that no one wants to own up to this delicious creation. And that the U.S. generally is to Spain as Texas is to the U.S. generally?

Okay, so Pioneer Woman published her first cookbook and it arrived yesterday. When are you going to publish YOURS?? When you do, let me know so I can order 6 of them for me, my daughters and gifts for my friends. Girl, you need to get a cookbook going posthaste! :)

Growing up, we ALWAYS had cheeseburgers on Saturday night. And the "really good ones" were topped with longhorn cheddar, sliced thick, allowed to go to room temp and "sweat" as my dad called it, cooked on the charcoal grill and placed on an onion bun. I can taste it now! Throw in some potato chips and French Onion Dip by Bordens, thinly sliced white onion on that burger plus whatever condiments (mine was ketchup and LOTS OF IT) and we were in hog heaven. (and of course, we had to watch "Hee Haw" on the TV - Dad's fav Saturday night show...) That constituted Saturday night supper for me in Lubbock, Texas!

At a fish place down here in west Houston, they do a fabulous burger with monterery jack cheese, thick bacon slices and slices of fresh avocado - oh.my.word!

A Texas burger? I live in Arizona and there is seems to be a blur in the lines of South West styles here. But I think of Texas having a very defined style. I'd to have Jalapenos for sure on my Texas burger. It would be BIG, maybe with a smear of some good Texas chili, and a nice layer of longhorn cheddar. But I would certainly like to have it on those buns. Thank you for the recipe, they look amazing!

I grew up in the Austin area. When I read "Texas burger" followed by "egg on top" I heard that "record screeches to a stop" sound in my mind.

I grew up eating pretty much plain burgers with nothing fancy on them: mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle, maybe some longhorn cheese, NO ketchup (my mom says those are Yankee burgers LOL). But they had to have a thick meat patty (if it's too thin to order it medium, it's too thin) and a substantial bun that adds flavor. Oh, and the meat must be seasoned, preferably mixed into the mix and not just sprinkled on top.

These buns sound fantastic! I agree that the default Whataburger is (at least in my mind) the "typical" Texas burger.

I recently traveled west and was excited to eat at the famed "In N Out Burger." When I bit into my burger, I was shocked.... no pickles! no mustard! what kind of burger was this? It was the blandest burger I've eaten in years!

Here in Dallas there are a couple of places owned by the same people that offer a fried egg on their burger (the rest of the ingredients being the Texas standard MOPLT). They named it after a lawyer friend of their's that used to order it as an option from the Fatburger chain, found predominately in the far west, and now some in the east. Interestingly enough though, there are NO Fatburger franchises in Texas.Growing up in Abilene, I had my first Jalapeño burger around 1970 from a mom and pop called Mr. G's and that's what I've always held in my heart as the default as to what would be a burger unique to Texas.

Here in Australia, an Aussie "hamburger with the lot", includes all the regular hamburger fixin's... plus a big ol'(nasty) slice of beet (called beet root), grilled onions and a semi-fried egg, so that the yolk dribbles down your shirt when you bite into it.*urp*

I grew up in West Texas, and while not a frequent thing, sometimes I would have burgers with an egg on it with my grandma and granddad. Delicious! I've turned a few people on to it up here in Massachusetts. The perfect burger if you've had a drink or two too many the night before. And jalepenos make EVERYTHING better!

Way back in the 80's, I "worked" at the Dixie Chicken (in Aggieland) and the Freddie Burger was made by Freddie the awesome cook from South America. While the patty was cooking, he would pour jalapeno juice over it then top it with the pickeled jalapenos. It was fun to watch the customer try to eat it, as much beer was consumed along with the burger. I'm not sure if Freddie or the burger are still there.Best burger in Texas for a busy family is a Whataburger drive thru!

Back in the late 70's when I was in college in Charlottesville, the University Diner served a "one eye" bacon cheeseburger (with friend egg on top!) Delicious after a night of partying to sop up too much alcohol! Especially when finished off with the "Grillswith." Two glazed donuts heated on the grill with a scoop of ice cream on top! Good times!

I grew up in Marfa, Texas and there isn't a burger in the state of Texas that matches what you can order from Mondo's! It consists of a soft grilled bun, a thin meatpattie, chopped iceburg lettuce, chopped tomato, chopped onion, pickles and an amazing green chili sauce. The green chili sauce is pickled and I have never had it anywhere else. My brother swears that he can make it, but I have my doubts. I can't tell you what makes it so great, but it definitely is pretty wonderful.

I hate to tell you this, but I always ask for a fried egg ontop of my burgers which I like prepared just the way you like them. Maybe growing up with the flat inchilada???

Thanks so much for pointing out the inexplicable weirdness of the "texas burger" with egg!! I was just as bewildered by it when I moved to NYC 13 years ago. so bizarre and unfounded... Ever since, I've pretty much told any new yorker who will listen that that is NOT a texas burger.

Good job of assembling an "eyeful" of a delicious burger. Yours has, and I'll presume to make it more photogenic, a red onion slice. Ours always settles for a slice of white (sweet when in season).The only other variation we employ is buttered on both sides Texas Toast that's been grilled to golden glory.I'll for sure be trying your new bun variation and its bread loaf counterpart.

I lived in Texas a long time and never heard of the egg... knew it for an Australia thing. I think some grilled jalapeños or some pepper jack, or the above mentioned green chili relish, or perhaps a spoonful of chili con carne - might make a good Texas burger. Here in North Carolina they call a burger with slaw and chili on it a "Carolina Classic" - it's a common hotdog treatment moved onto a burger.

Your jalapeño cheese bread is VERY intriguing! I think I will make some soon. I happen to know it would make an awesome ham sandwich, too. Think I'll try your burger first, though.

When I think of a Texas burger I think of Jalapeno Tree Reasaurant with their con queso with Jalapenos or I think of all the different definitely homemade burgers Tookies in the El Lago/ Clear Lake Shores/Bacliff area made in the 70's and 80's and 90's including their 99 a wine marinated burger with home cut fries and the best onion rings in the world.But NEVER a fried egg on any of them.--chrisq

It cracks me up too when I see 'Texas-style burgers' on menus outside of Texas. It can mean there's barbecue sauce on the burger, bacon strips, Monterrey Jack cheese, jalapeno slices, or double meat. But truth be told, I don't even know what constitutes a 'Texas burger' in my book. Maybe just excess? Too much meat and cheese plus bacon??

I have had the mythological egg topped burger, which was introduced by my traveling little brother. Give it a try, and you might even like it. Make your normal burger, (medium to medium well patty, onion, tomato, lettuce, cheese, mustard) and add the egg (fried sunny side up or over hard) on top of everything. Make sure to toast the bun to make sure it doesn't collapse under the strain of ultimate goodness. I make them every once and a while, and have converted my wife over to my side of the opinion.

I'm from San Antonio. My parents loved what they called an enchilada burger. Hamburger with the addition of chili, cheddar cheese and onions. I guess a good thick chili burger with chili, cheese and mustard is my favorite hold the onions as I'm not a fan of them. With an egg on top, it sounds like a breakfast burger. But I've seen steak served that way in the Waffle House and other breakfast places. No self named Texan would call a burger with an egg on it a Texas burger!

Anon--Pickled green chili sauce? Interesting! Next time I'm in town I'll have to dissect it!

Jamey--Don't you know it! So bizarre indeed!

Esmer--I love Frito burgers!

CZKen--I like both, but yes, I used red for the photo because it's prettier.

Jumper--Now a burger with slaw is intriguing!

Chris--A wine-marinated burger? I've never heard of such a thing!

Tina--I could go with excess!

Medic--I've tried it, and it's not bad, it just doesn't say Texas to me.

Jodie--I'm all for an enchilada burger!

Josh--Interesting. Will have to check it out next time I'm home.

Laura--Indeed!

Kristen--I have a big bag of yeast that I keep in the freezer, so I just throw in a teaspoon and it works. Real accurate, eh? And thanks for letting me know how much was in a packet--I should know this!

I had already posted on this but there is something else I do with a burger now and again that is a distinctly Texas sort of move. Instead of pickles, I'll substitute Mrs. Renfro's (based in Ft. Worth) Hot Chow Chow. I've been eating it on hot dogs, hamburgers and in pinto beans since I was a little boy. They also now have a full line of salsas that are the best ever.

Theorizing about anything being a West Texas thing is basically a catch all. It is a good bet because West Texas is at least half of Texas and to some folks two-thirds of Texas. Depends on how you define.

If you poll local people around the state then you will find many claim to be part West Texas as almost as far east as the Interstate tween Dallas and Austin. And many claim it as far north as the Panhandle.

My theory to why this is so is based on what West Texas was during the frontier and where Indian territory started and stop from settlement. And I think it has carried over after all these years.

There have been some huge debates about what defines West Texas. One wanted to define based on the 915 area code now broken up. Some say you have to be must more west for it. So on...

I feel if you think you are a West Texan then that is good enough for me. :) I am from the Angelo area and they for sure think of themselves as West Texans and their paper reflect it.

So that can make it a pretty big place. And I can believe somewhere in that area someone puts an egg on their hamburger regularly. I just have never seen it myself. :)

I love this blog. It covers so much that is Texan. A place I miss very much.

Here in San Antonio one of the top rated places that Texas Monthly rated does the egg deal.Its the Burger Outpost of the big chef here in town called Bigz.Its called a dirty burger and the staff wears Tshirts exhorting you to "Do it dirty for a dollar" which is what they charge to add the egg.First place in Texas I have ever seen ,but hey whats not to like?I love runny ,over easy eggs and love burgers so it works for me.That said the standard of excellence is the local version of the bean burger. Bigz and Chris Madrids both do killer versions.I cant get a decent one out of San Antonio.

Growing up in Austin, Holiday House had the best hamburgers in town. The "old-fashioned" was their classic. Lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mustard - NO mayo or ketchup (heaven forbid!) But the chili-cheese burger was pretty darn good too! Holiday House is no longer around, but I sure would love one of those burgers right now...

This may not be a Texas burger, but my burger topping preference is to season the patty with a little Worchestershire sauce and a sprinkling of Tony's seasoning, then put thick slices of cream cheese and sliced purple onions on the bun.

I may be able to clear up a mystery as to why they called that burger a "Texas" burger. I live in Lynchburg, Va now(raised near in Keller, near Ft. Worth). Here they have a small "dive" called the Texas Inn. They are famous for a burger with a fried egg on top. Perhaps that is where the New Yorkers got it?The Texas Inn is a long standing tradition here. I have not been there yet. Burgers and eggs are not my thing.

Jim's Restaurants here in San Antonio used to have a burger with a fried egg on the menu, though that's been gone for a few years. The Texas Burger from The Cove has to be my favorite - refried beans, salsa, avocado, corn chips, and grilled onions...mmmmm

This was delicious! Thanks for all the recipes you post here. I had been intending to try making your recipes at some point, and this week decided to make these buns to work on my bread-making skills. I topped my hamburger with your chipotle blue cheese dressing.

Sesame seed bun, bacon, grilled jalepeno & onion, sharp cheddar, good fresh meat cooked on a old fashioned greasy spoon grill, diced onion, semi-sweet pickle slices and salad dressing (Most folks call this Miracle Whip, but at a good locals-only-eat-here Texan lunch cafe... it is dressing) Of course, the bun is toasted sliced side down after being liberally coated with butter. It's just plain heaven in a basket or on a paper wrapper. Don't even get me started on the fries.

Thanks Lisa for posting this. I used these along with a jalapeno cheddar burger as a special on Tuesday. Reviews were awesome from the customers with the exception that apparently the locals do not like heat here in Valentine,NE. So next time maybe I will "sissy it down" a little bit and just give them a cheddar burger with the buns LOL. I also blogged on it and redirected here as the original post.Thanks again.

I served these buns with my Avocado Jackapeno Burger the other night. They are amazing. I added some photos of the process on my blog but directed readers to your site for the complete recipe for these buns. I have already had lots of positive feedback from my readers. Thanks for sharing!